Heart of Italia
by Birdy Chan
Summary: Lovina 'died' with her grandfather 6 years ago. Now Romano does everything he can to protect his sister from the bandits that pursue them. Full summary first page. But eventual Antonio/Lovina and a bit of Ludwig/Felicia
1. Prologue

Felicia and Lovina Vargas lost their grandfather when they were 12 due to some bandits who want the Heart of Italia, Italy's greatest and most precious treasure. Lovina and her sister escape only to learn that the bandits killed their grandfather and the Heart no where to be found. Lovina and Felicia are the ones who have it but Lovina doesn't even know what it is let alone Felicia. Now the bandits are looking for the Vargas girls and claim one of them to obtain the Heart since there no longer is a male in the family. However, Lovina comes up with a plan that doesn't require for either of them to live their lives on the run or in fear: she becomes the male heir Romano in hope that the bandits will leave them alone. It does work for 6 years, Lovina Vargas is dead and brother and sister Felicia and Romano are living normal lives in Southern Italy until a Spanish man comes along and everything gets thrown into chaos.

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><p>Prologue<p>

"That's it, just sign it." A snake like voice hissed. A dark brown haired girl tiptoed in the shadows towards the door to the dining room as she was coming down for a tomato. She could see her grandfather and someone she never seen before through a creek. Probably someone who wanted to sign a treaty with her grandfather, she thought.

"Yess. Initial here…" The tall man with the same hair colour as the girl slurred. He was drunk. "Let's see… How long have I… Oh I've been with more women than you have that's for sure!" He boomed. Oh yeah he was EXTREMELY drunk this wasn't good. "Yeah, I'll tell you about the really good ones as long as you get out. Heck, I'll give you any woman you want if it will make you go faster."

"Just give me the Heart of Italia and I will." He smirked. She silently gasped. Her grandfather told her that it was Italy's greatest treasure, she didn't see what it was exactly, because she never paid any attention to that kind of crap. He said that it was the source of his power and those who obtained it would be just as powerful as him or at least that's what she heard.

"Sure,sure. R…O…M… Hey! No I won't!" He snapped out of his drunken state and stood up against the stranger. "You'll get them over my dead body! Now I demand you leave!" He snarled. She knew this was going to be ugly. She silently ran off to hers and her sister's room and woke up her sister.

"Felicia! Feli! Wake up!" She shook her sleeping sister but she didn't budge. All she could hear was 'Veh… Veh… Veh…' Shouts were coming from the hallway. She swore under her breath as she was frustrated. Her grandfather told her that if people came to the house and were about to fight him, it was her job to get her sister out and go to the hiding place in the city until he would come find them.

"You're a man of your word, aren't you Rome?" The voice sneered. "I'll be taking a woman of my choice and won't give her or… them back until you give me the heart." They were in serious trouble and they had to run. Now.

"Feli… There's pasta on the window." She half sang.

"Pasta~?" Her sister said in a dreamy voice. She automatically got up and started walking to the window like a robot.

"Look, it's getting away! Quick to the woods to chase after it!" The elder sister was trying to go as fast as she can because the shouting continued and her grandfather screamed in agony. As soon as they were out, Felicia turned around.

"Too tired. Want to sleep.~" She rubbed her eyes and started heading back as soon as her sister climbed out. She had to think fast to get her sister moving.

"There's… There's a monster chasing after us." It didn't budge her. "It's going to eat us and eat the mountain of pasta that's going to the woods!"

"AAAHHH!" She immediately headed for the woods. "Wait! Pasta! Pasta! Pasta run from the monster!" The elder sister had trouble keeping up with her younger sister and normally it was the other way around and she had to drag her sister out of trouble.

"Shit, they got away!" She could hear them even though they went far into the woods. They went over tree trunks, slipped in the mud a couple of times and had to cross a creek to reach the city and in the safe house.

The safe house was more of a cellar as it was underground and the entrance was well hidden in a market, behind a trashed fruit stand that no one bothered to clean as it was rumored to have adders in it, which was far from true although it worked as a cover up.

They were well hidden and kept quiet even though they were both mortified. The elder sister held on to her younger sister for comfort. She was as much as a coward as her younger sister but in times like this, she forced herself to be the brave one in her grandfather's absence. She could hear them above her, shouting in frustration that she and her sister vanished into thin air. One of them wanted to give up on them because they had no value. Then that stranger's voice was heard above them and his tone of satisfaction sent shivers down her spine.

"I want them both alive or at least one. That old coot is nothing to be feared anymore." Then he changed his voice and it froze her body completely. "I found his will before I left. Those two little brats have it. One will make a lovely wife. The other will make a servant."

"Uhh… Boss you hate Rome. Why marry one of his granddaughters? They ain't worth a look." She wanted to shout out, 'I'm far better then you ass wipes.' But she knew better than to endanger herself and her sister. She knew they didn't have the heart and God only knew what he was going to do with him until he got what he wanted.

"That bastard had this damn will jinxed. It says that the Heart of Italia can not be passed on to another as long as a male is alive. That problem: solved. So it is passed on to the next descendants which are the two brats and long story short, I have to make one of them mine to obtain the Heart. Unless if they had a brother, which they don't, the Heart is mine when I find them." Oh God. They were doomed. He killed their grandfather. They have no one to turn to.

'A brother… Huh.' She leaned her sister against the wall and went over to the broken mirror on the other side of the room. She did have her grandfather's looks and with her almost constant scowl, many people did mistake her for a boy. The only thing to tell them otherwise was her gorgeous long dark hair. There was a closet next to her and there was another set of clothes, a grey tunic and black pants and a cloak. She changed into them, found a hair tie and a knife. She took one last look at herself before she made the cut.

The next morning, the word traveled fast about the Turks invaded Italy last night but they weren't able to take their countries' precious treasure. Which created a brief atmosphere of panic then relief. Then it shifted to sorrow. Two people were dead last night, Rome and Lovina Vargas.


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay, here's chapter 2 of Heart of Italia. I gave it some thought and I'm gonna add Ger(Fem)Ita on the side of the main pairing which is Spamano. I apologize if I didn't make Romano tsundre enough or whatever it's called. I have no idea what that means. **  
><strong>Things are really gonna get interesting next chapter, I promise but please be patient cause it will take a while to write cause I have school and other things on my art to do list. And on that to do list is another Hetalia fic. This time, it's gonna be PrussiaFemCanada (new favourite pairing other than Spamano) 0/w/0 and a side of USUK(yaoi) for those interested.**

**And thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and put my story on their alerts.**

**So I hope you guys like!**

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><p>Romano rolled around in his sleep, wincing as if he was in pain. The scream of his grandfather, the decision he had to make to keep him and Felicia safe, and the bone chilling voice 'I'll make one of them mine.' He was getting closer and closer. He's about to get his filthy hands on his sister… No. Romano was the one who was chosen.<p>

More...

"Lovi…" Felicia poked at Romano. He immediately sat up and looked around wildly.

"I'll take you all on you bastards!" Romano shot up and started to swing his arm blindly then stared in annoyance at his sister.

"Lovi, you were dreaming again," She smiled absently. "Were you a pirate again? Veh~"

"Feli…" He hit his head a couple of times to get himself fully awake. "One… I practically work with pirates. It's boring as hell. And two… It's ROMANO." He glared daggers at her sister and she backed away. He didn't like scaring her like this… Or sometimes he got a good kick of teasing her but he was extremely frustrated right now. How long was it going to take to get it through her thick skull that she had to call Lovina 'Romano'?

Lovina barely kept herself together that night she and Felicia lost their grandfather. The first thing on her mind was to confront them and kill them several times and hope that they burn in hell, freeze, thaw, burn again and repeat. But her common sense kicked in for once and told her that confronting them was EXACTLY what that murderous bastard wanted. So her duty was to keep Felicia and herself safe. But how? Flee Italy and live on the run? No. Everyone knew who they were and could identify their curls anywhere.

Lovina remembered something she heard the bandits say when they were near their hiding spot: there were no other male heirs that could stand in their way of claiming the Heart of Italy. This meant that if they had a brother, the bandits couldn't do a thing to the Vargas sisters and claim the Heart for themselves. Lovina was trembling as she walked over to the old cracked and dusty mirror. She loved being a girl, she was pretty, could swear and generally get away with it, and she had an easy life. Her grandfather often teased her that if she didn't scowl most the time, she would be prettier than Venus instead of a grumpy little boy.

She thought it through carefully. She would have to give up her easy going lifestyle and do things men should do. It was either this or get hitched quick to protect themselves and the Heart from the Turks. Like hell that was going to happen, they were only twelve at the time. If she claimed to be Felicia's and Lovina's estranged triplet brother, surly the people and the bandits would believe her. And then Felicia would be left alone. Lovina knew that they could try to trick her like they tricked her grandfather but she wouldn't allow it to happen.

The morning after the incident, Lovina told Felicia everything and tempted to say that she was a long lost brother and would take care of her. Surly she would believe that, she's such a dope and if, God forbid that the Turks did find them again, she would confirm that this was her brother and she would be safe. But after seeing her reaction when she found out their grandfather was gone, Lovina made her swear up and down that she would keep her mouth shut about Lovina and she had to call Lovina 'Romano' from now on except in private. And the shipyard rest area where they meet up for siestas is NOT private.

"Veh~" Felicia sighed. "It doesn't sound right. I don't like it."

"What don't you like, ma belle fille?" A tall blonde haired man came up and put his arm around Felicia's shoulder. He was a handsome but perverted sailor who Romano worked with although the man hardly worked.

"Back off you wine bastard." Romano growled. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to keep your hands off of what isn't yours?" He grabbed Francis' wrist and lifted it off of Felicia's shoulder.

"Veh? What's wrong Romano? He's just hugging me. We're all friends veh?"

"Lighten up, mon ami. It's not like she has a lover. Yet…" He had a mischievous smirk.

"Don't even think about it. If you get within ten feet of her, I'll rip every,"

"Godlike," Francis coughed. He knew Romano's signature threat and tended to insert his narcissistic comments in.

"Muscle out of your body."

"Then what do you approve then?" He had his arm around Romano now. "You rejected all of the handsome boys who had their eyes on Felicia."

"People put their eyes on me?" Felicia gasped and Romano recognized that gasp as in she was going to start panicking within a few seconds.

"Well…"

"Eeek! Get them off! Get them off! Get them off!" She started to flail her arms and ran around the floor. "Romano-pasta~" She immediately turned her head to Romano who had a plate of pasta that materialized in his hand. She immediately calmed down and took the plate of spaghetti and bolognese sauce, her simple but favourite dish.

"Pasta~ Thank you soerella~" She smiled happily forgetting that Francis was here as well. Romano had a hint of a smile as well.

"Italian isn't my native tongue, but doesn't that mean sister, petite Feli?" Francis smiled. Romano knew how to react to this.

"When Feli gets pasta, she acts like a twerp, and that includes her brain dumbing down." Francis had another mischievous smirk and Romano hit him in the face with the tin lunchbox that had the pasta in it. "Don't even think about it."

"You're no fun Romano!" Francis cried. "Oh? Qu'est que c'est?" He looked at the label on the lunchbox. 'For emergency use only. Keep out, Felicia ):'

"It's emergency pasta. Sometimes it's a day or two old but…"

"Pasta is pasta!" They said at the same time. "It's the best yet, Romano. Veh~" She beamed.

"Oi! Vargas! Bonnefoy! Get yer asses back on the deck! We've got a lot of cargo in today!"

"I'll be back soon, Feli. Try to stay out of trouble." He smiled at his sister.

"Ole!" A young man cheered gleefully as he jumped onto the land from his boat. He came to Italy several times before, but only for transferring ships and never got around to sightseeing. Today was no exception. He wouldn't be able to do some sight seeing as he was on his way to visit a friend in Austria. He stretched his arms out as if to embrace the wind that was blowing in his face.

"Master Antonio, do you have to be so loud?" His servant scolded. "We have to keep moving or our train will leave without us. And you know how long it takes to wait for a train in this region. TWO WEEKS. You understand? TWO-"

"Si, two weeks waiting period. But look at this port! It became more beautiful since the last time I've been here."

"We were only here two months ago." His servant sighed.

"Si, and Italy grows more beautiful by the day. Besides, we can do a little bit of sightseeing, can't we?" His emerald eyes were full of admiration and excitement. "Our train doesn't leave for five hours and it takes us a little over an hour to get to the station."

"And it takes us over an hour and a half to get through the security and find seats on time." He said as he pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose.

"We always get a private cabin, no?"

"We must be ON TIME." The servant said sounding more annoyed. His master was so child like in many ways. Antonio can never stand still for one second and he has a laid back personality. "Wouldn't even offer to take his own luggage." The servant muttered. 'He expects us to do everything for him so he can do his own thing. Well, once my master is king, I can finally forget about this no good brat.'

"Master, we really should get-" He looked around and Antonio was gone. As much as he was grateful that Antonio was gone, it was the servant's job to make sure that he was safe. For now.

'I know my way around here. I've been down this street so many times I know how to get to the station. And 'on time'.' Antonio mentally mocked his servant Marcus. 'Such a perfectionist. He should learn to live the moment.' He sighed happily as he was ridding a farmer's cart that was heading towards the market. It was full of chickens and there was a barrel right behind him full of red fruit. Tomatoes! His favourite! He helped himself to half a dozen, got the attention of the driver and gave him some coins before he jumped off and started to wander the streets.

"Lo-Romano, Romano!" Felicia jumped up and down excitedly as she called out to Romano who was tying a secure knot on a large cargo box.

"Dummy, shouldn't you be at work? It's not even close to quittin' time yet." Or is it? He muttered.

"I got fell down but listen, listen!~"

"You WHAT?" Romano immediately slid down a rope that was dangling beside him and ran up to his sister. "Who's the bastard and where does he live?"

"Lovi~ It was my fault. My foot twisted to the side and I fell on my face and my foot still hurts still. Also, I think I'm in love, veh."

"Really? Well then, start talking."

"You know I fell on my face right?" Felicia said quickly. "Well, this guy help me up. He was so handsome, so strong, and so kind! And he gave me a potato because I fell in front of his house. Veh, Isn't that sweet?"

"You trip in front of a guy's house, he gives you a potato and you think you're in love? You sure you didn't land in another world while you were there?" Romano raised an eyebrow. This was the weirdest 'Felicia logic' he has come across yet.

"Veh?" She smiled absently. "But I really think I'm in love. I've never seen him before and he has never seen me before either so I don't think he knows about me. So it should be fine, veh?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Well… Next time you see him and he sees you," Romano took the potato from Felicia's hand and examined it. "Take this and smack him upside the head and demand for better pasta materials." Romano sniggered.

"Lovi!" Felicia cried. Romano covered her mouth before she got too loud.

"I'm kidding, you dummy. But I want to meet him too. Just to make sure that he's alright. We'll talk about this later."

"But Lo-Romano."

"Later."

'Ah! Life is so beautiful!' The Spaniard sighed. The market was so full of life and there were so many foods that were displayed and wanted to eat as many as he could. So much he wanted to do, so little time. Speaking of time… He looked at the harbour clock and his precious hours were nearly over. He had to make it to the station within half an hour. The only people who were closest to him were two people on the end of the dock.

"Ah, scusi!" Antonio approached the young couple, brother and sister perhaps? He thought. They had similar faces, he caught a glimpse of their similarity before they turned their attention to him. The one in the dress was a very cute girl but she seemed too… Dopey. And the other person who was glaring and scowling at him, there was something odd. The moment Antonio caught a glimpse the boy when he wasn't scowling, he looked almost feminine.

"What?" The boy growled.

"I-er… I was wondering how…"

"Watch where you're going, you bastard!" He shouted at another sailor as the sailor shoved him as he was walking in between the trio.

"How to get… To the train station." He was intimidated by this young boy. So young, innocent looking, looks like a nice kid and yet he found the most violent ruthless person yet. Although, something was strange about him. He couldn't put his finger on it.

"Veh, talk to the merchant who sells sea shell jewelry and her husband will take you up the hill in no time." The girl responded.

"Ah, thank- whoa!"

It happened so fast. Antonio was hoisted up into the air by his ankle by a rope that came out of no where and he was dangling over the edge of the dock. He was attached to a large cargo box and it moved him towards the ocean. He tried to curl his body up to get his foot free but the boy was screaming for him not to move, unless he wanted to kiss his... Uh… -Not appropriate subject to bring up in a civilized conversation- goodbye.

"What am I supposed to do then?" Antonio shouted frantically. The box was moving further and further to the front of the ship and over deeper water. He could hear the girl cry for her brother to not help him because she didn't want him to get hurt. The box finally stopped and the person who was operating the lift shouted that the controls were failing and he couldn't bring the box on the ship. Which means that Antonio wasn't going be above a somewhat safe landing. Well, this was turning out to be a good day. Not. Maybe it might've been better to listen to the stupid advisor. He looked on the ship and the sailors were staring at him with concern and none of them knew what to do next. One false move and Antonio could plunge right to the bottom and the water gets EXTREMELY deep even though it's not far off the shore.

"Oh, don't mind me, I'm having a great time up here." Antonio smiled. "I can wait." He put his hands behind his head.

"Move it, you bastards! If you want something done right, you got to do it yourself." He moaned.

"Romano, you idiot, it's dangerous!" Francis shouted. Romano started to climb up on the rope ladder to the lookout post, looking absolutely determined to get Antonio down. Nobody was bothering to do anything except stand there like retarded bumps on a log. But at the same time, he was absolutely friggin terrified. No way in a million years would he get up this net. He could fall and break his arm or leg. But he rather risk that instead of letting one person drown because nobody else had any brains to get him down. Once his ankle gets out of there, by himself or otherwise, there's nothing for him to hang on to and its one quick trip to the bottom.

"Oi, tomato bastard!" Romano jumped on to the crate and hung on to one of the ropes that was holding on to the crate. Antonio craned his neck to see the boy, Romano, or whatever, with a rope around his shoulder and he started to unravel it. "Tie this around your waist, get your foot out of there and I'll pull you up." Snap. Oh God. What the hell was that? "You still down there?"

"I should ask you the same thing." Antonio replied nervously. Romano whipped his head around and one of the ropes was starting to break.

"Tie this around your waist now and get your foot out of there!" Antonio did as he was told but before Romano could do anything, the rope slipped out of his hands and Antonio was sent into the water. The rope that started to snap was seconds away from falling. Felicia was screaming for Romano and crying. His first instinct told him to go back on the ship, back to safety. But there was something about this person, and he impulsively let go of the rope and dove into the water.

Felicia collapsed on her knees in tears. Please, please let Ro-Lovina be safe. "Lovi…" She quietly sobbed. A man who was one of the crane operators helped her up.

"Felicia…" He said softly as he gently tilted her head towards him. "How about we go somewhere safer? It's getting too crowded here." He had a smirk that made Felicia more frantic than she already was. "But-but Lovi-Romano… No!" She cried. He grabbed her arm and started to pull her away with weak resistance. "No! Please! Lovi!" She was starting to get hysterical as she tried to run back to the dock. The man stopped trying to get away with her when a tall, muscular blond man grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

"It's not polite to make women do what they don't want to." His blue eyes made the smaller man freeze in fear. The tall blond man looked like he could snap the latter in two.

"Veh… It's you!" Felicia said in awe through her tears. His cold furious blue eyes reverted to kind and sympathetic gaze to Felicia.

"What's wrong?"

"It's-It's my fra-sor-fratello. He-he fell in the water with another person." She wailed. "He's all I have!"

"I wouldn't worry about him." He looked beyond her and she turned to the direction and the sailors pulled up a soaking wet and coughing Romano. The other person was unconscious and not breathing.

"Lovi!" Felicia ran up to her brother and had a deathlike grip around his neck.

"Feli- You dummy. Can't breathe." He choked as he returned her hug.

"This one might not make it. Any volunteers for the kiss of life?" A sailor looked around nervously.

"Did someone say kiss~" Francis came out of nowhere with a dark grin.

"Out of my way!" Adrenaline was still pulsing through Romano's veins. Again this was something he would never do but his mind was on the go wanted to do something thrilling. He stumbled across the deck, positioned Antonio and rammed his lips onto his, forcing oxygen into his lungs.

'Breathe bastard, just breathe.' He pulled away and was about to do chest compressions, Antonio spat out a good amount of sea water and started to breathe heavily.

"Lovi…" Felicia whined as she put her head on Romano's shoulder.

"I'm alright, and I just saved someone. Yes, I know Feli." He said in a soft voice, which sounded almost like his normal voice.

"You had your first kiss before me~" She giggled. Romano turned a furious red. There were people around them and they saw him kiss another man. No you idiot, a voice in his head snapped, it was the Heimlich. Which doesn't equal first kiss. He automatically covered his mouth with his hand and continued to blush furiously. All he could think of was 'He tasted like tomatoes.'


	3. Chapter 2

"Master Antonio!" Marcus stepped on Romano's hand as he was running to Antonio who was still spitting out sea water. 'Damn bastard…' Romano thought as he gritted his teeth. 'Antonio, huh. So that's his name. Sounds… nice.' He mentally slapped himself to next week. He had a responsibility! He couldn't be falling for anyone! People would get suspicious and possibly find out that he's actually a she. Speaking of falling… He turned his head and eyed the man talking with Felicia. Was this the one Feli was talking about? He wasn't much of a looker. At least to Romano.

"Oi!" He walked up to Felicia and the muscular blonde man. "Who are you and why are you bothering my sister?" He growled.

"Ah! Romano! This is Ludwig. He helped me earlier. Oh and…" She took the potato from her apron pocket and held it in front of him. 'She's actually gonna do it?'

"Veh~ Could I trade you for some pasta materials?" She asked sweetly. What. The. Tomato. Stupid brain. Sea water has damaged the profanity vocabulary. Romano thought as he smacked his head on the side.

"Uh… What?... I think you can make pasta out of potatoes." He said slowly.

"Veh? Really?"

"Ja. I think it's called Gnottchi. You don't notice the difference in taste from what I've heard."

"Hey!" Something slapped him heartily on his shoulder and Romano's first reaction was to go for the shin when people sneak up on him.

"Ever heard of personal space, wine bastard?" Romano spat.

"What's wrong with congratulating a hero? Never thought you had it in you, mon ami. What made you do it?"

"What the hell are you supposed to do when you're surrounded by retards?" He turned his head away.

"Was it driven by… l'amour?" Francis said seductively as he tilted Romano's head to Francis' eye level. Romano retaliated by aiming in his weak spot.

"You are a sick, twisted bastard!"

"Come now, there is no need to feel bad. Love is acceptable by any gender." Romano's expression softened a bit as he glanced at Antonio. Sure. He was good looking and he… tasted like tomatoes but there was no way that it would happen. He couldn't allow it. Not until Felicia is completely out of harm's way. He felt himself blush slightly.

"Ah! So it was love! You are really something Romano. Who knew?" Francis was grinning like he had just been awarded a Nobel prize.

"Fuck off, you bastard!"

"Lovi!" Felicia smacked Romano with the potato Ludwig gave her. "You shouldn't use bad words!"

"Hey, you!" Another voice came from behind him. "Romano, is that your name, did I get it right?" Antonio smiled at him.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to thank you, amigo. You saved my life. I don't know what I would've done without you. I wish there was some way to repay you."

"Don't mention it. You don't have to owe me anything."

"Well, Master Antonio, I hope you're happy. Because of your little stunt, we have now officially missed our train." Marcus glared at Antonio then Romano. 'What the hell did I do?'

"Oh! That's terrible!" Felicia cried. "Well, I'm sure another one will come by soon."

"It won't come for at least two weeks." Marcus said coldly as he straightened his collar.

"Ah! What if you stayed with us? We have plenty of room." Felicia said almost immediately. She was the kind of person who would take in a stray cat (metaphorically and literally) who was lost in the rain and nurse it back to health and sometimes keep it. These two were without a place to stay, the Spanish man was soaking wet and exhausted and it would seem wrong to leave them in the streets waiting for their train.

"Feli!" Why. Couldn't. She. Keephermouthshut! Romano facepalmed himself mentally. Please let them say no and go find an inn.

"Hey, if you're offering, I won't say no. It's free so I'm happy."

"Hey! You can't just- Felicia!" Romano whipped his head back and forth towards his sister and Antonio.

"Is there a problem?" Antonio's smile was starting to fade.

"I-well… No. It's all right. This dummy here," Romano patted Felicia's head as she made an automatic 'veh' sound. "Has a tendency to do what she thinks is right."

"So, does that mean we can still stay?" Antonio tilted his head to the side as he was a little confused.

"What do you think, you idiot? I said yes so what does that mean?" Antonio lit up instantly.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You've done more than I can ever repay!"

"Although…" Romano interrupted him. "You have to work. I'm not having any form of freeloading bastards staying with us for-what was it again-?"

"Two weeks?" Shit. Two freaking weeks. Missed the amount of time in the conversation earlier. What the hell did they get themselves into? If he found out their secret-no, he wasn't going to find out. 'The guy looks too stupid… er… That may be a strong word, Felicia (no offense) fits the definition of stupid. The lovable kind of stupid. This guy… He seems like he's ditsy. Bottom Line, he won't catch on.' Romano reassured himself. This could work but he's not running a charity.

"All right," he huffed. "Two weeks, you are gonna work for us! We need help around the house and we don't have much time to properly clean it."

"Oh…" Antonio looked slightly uncomfortable.

"I don't think he'd live up his end of the bargain." Marcus had a thin smile. "The closest thing my master has seen to a mop is that hairstyle of his."

"Those are my conditions. Take it or leave it."

"Ci, Ci. Fair enough." Romano had some papers to fill out from his manager and the local clinic for himself after the rescue. It still puzzled him what drove him to do such a thing. Sure, everyone else was sitting around and staring but for him to volunteer to rescue this guy, this was totally out of whack. 'Heh. You have a REALLY strange sense of humour, Nonno.' He smiled to himself as he looked up at the starlit sky as they were walking back home. 'I hope you're doing alright up there. I'm having a total blast down here.' He thought sarcastically. 'If you were trying to make me laugh, you've got to try harder, Old Man.'

Something flashed in the corner of Romano's eye that made him stop and sent a bone chilling shiver down his spine. It was the kind of feeling that made him think he should take Felicia and go to the safe house. He whipped his head around and it was nothing but he couldn't help but feel it was those prying eyes from that person.

"Veh~ Lovi, you okay?"

"Yeah. Just swallowed a bit too much of sea water, that's all." He said as he dismissed Felicia. He was too paranoid to yell at her for calling him 'Lovi'. Just as long as she didn't add two extra letters, they're fine.

"So, this is our house." Romano turned around as they arrived at a simple looking house that was on a raised deck that was up a hill. There were two sets of stairs on the sides, both an eroding colour of brown and a large pile of organized arm length logs were under the deck. Romano dug his house keys from his pocket and let everyone in the house.

He noticed that Antonio had a blank stare as he entered the small house. They just came into a small kitchen, which seemed even smaller with a mountain of pots on the counter and in the sink. At least you could walk in and get something from the fridge and make something on the stove.

To their right was one large living room with a semi-sphere chair against the wall, a lamp hovering above it and a long curving couch that took up half of the room. There was a fire place next to the chair and a small wood box and fire starters next to it. There were six doorways that were across from the group, seven counting the door they just came in, three directly across that appeared to be bedrooms, one adjacent to their left which was a sliding door to the deck and had a fantastic view of the Mediterranean and two which one was closed and the other was identified as a small bathroom with a tub and shower. Right in front of them was a long wooden table with four chairs with leather backings.

"Well, this is our home. Sorry about the mess, veh~ And this…" Felicia bent down to pick up her orange tabby, "Is Ravioli! Isn't he the cutest kitty in the world?" The cat mewed affectionately as Felicia nuzzled her face against him.

"I'll set up my room, it's the cleanest. You and your friend can fight each other on who gets the room and who gets the couch."

"Err… It's very nice, mi amigo. Although I find it hard to believe how you and your sister are the only people living here and you two make this much of a mess. And your house is very small too." Antonio's comment made Romano twitch. Stuck up rich boy. What was the reason he took these two in? Brain too fried. Too much sea water. Romano sighed. He was much too tired to fight tonight. But once he's well rested, he's gonna kick ass.

* * *

><p>"Lovina, my dear, who knew after all these years, you were still alive?" Oh God. It's him. Where was he? Lovina could feel her heart pound hard against her chest. It was dark, that hauntingly nostalgic voice was near and she found it difficult to breathe.<p>

"Get the hell away from me you bastard!" She snarled. The minute she spat out her words, something yanked her forwards and she could feel the man's warm breath on her face. Her vision was sharpening but she couldn't see the man's face.

"Now, now, pet. That's no way to talk back to your master." Lovina's eyes trailed from his hand and he was holding a chain that was connected to a collar around her neck. She started to panic and tried to move away but the man followed her and pinned her up against the wall, running his free hand down her side with his face dangerously close to hers. "I can give you a way out. I can give you the life you've always wanted. Become mine and I will give you anything your heart desires, my princess."

"Fuck you. Like hell I will. I know what you're after. I don't have it. Even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you!" Another sharp jerk upwards and Lovina yelped in pain. Next thing she knew, her lips were being forced upon by his. He was cold, rough and painful. He tried to pry and coax for an opening but she wouldn't allow it.

"You're quite the stubborn one, dear Lovina. But do you know what happens to pets who don't obey their masters?" He had an evil grin on his face as his body pressed against hers.

* * *

><p>"Get away from me!" Lovina let out a blood curdling scream as she thrashed around restlessly in her bed. "I swear I don't have the Heart of Italia, you bastard!" She shot up after she finally managed to wake up. She panted heavily as she wrapped her hands around her throat and to her relief, that God awful collar wasn't on her. She wasn't trapped.<p>

She turned her head and Felicia was sound asleep, dreaming about pasta, did not budge to Lovina's cries. At times like this, Lovina could only wish that she was as simple minded as her sister. She wouldn't have to worry about serious stuff too much and could dream about pasta to her heart's content.

"Are you alright?" Oh right. That guy was living with them. He cautiously poked his head through the door like a curious child. Lovina whipped her head down quickly then looked at him. Thank God she wears a t-shirt and shorts as her pyjamas instead of nightgowns or tank tops.

"Whaddya want?" Lovina moaned.

"Well, I heard screaming. Is your sister alright?" Great. No, really great. He assumed it was Felicia who screamed, not Lovina. How dense was this guy? Although, Lovina had to admit, that makes him… cute. And sweet(BAD THOUGHTS. VERY BAD).

"Oh, yeah. She screams because of the pasta monster that occasionally steals her pasta."

"Ah… Ah pasta, wait for me!" Felicia gave a panicked cry as she started to roll around. "Bad monster!" Then she faced the wall and gave a contented sigh. "Veh~ … Ludwig…" She gave a heartfelt sigh. Oh great. Now that guy was in her dreams before Lovina gave her consent? He is now the newest addition to the 'To Be Ass-Kicked List'.

"The pasta monster?" Antonio burst into a fit of laughter. "That's really funny! Oh, sorry. I might wake her up." He covered his mouth quickly.

"I'd be more worried about your… whateveryoucallem waking up. We're fine."

"Bueno. Well, goodnight." He smiled. Lovina couldn't fall back asleep. She was afraid of that man reentering her dreams. She was once again envious of her sister. Felicia always had something to think about, even if she did of anything, it would bring her peace of mind and Lovina was always there to comfort her when she was troubled. Lovina couldn't find that same sense of security. Whenever she tried to put her thoughts away and absolutely think of nothing and blankly stare off into space, her thoughts came swarming back in, nagging and blabbing on and on and on. As close as she was to her sister, she couldn't get the same level of comfort with Felicia. After so many years of trying to protect her, comfort her and keeping her troubles at bay, Lovina felt like she couldn't depend on Felicia like that.

She rolled on her side and closed her eyes, praying that dreams would not enter and that faceless bastard would be repelled. She partially got her wish; the bastard did not penetrate her mind anymore for the night. Instead, she was swept away to a beautiful garden like paradise that had a soothing aroma of fruits; tomatoes being the strongest. It was so peaceful and relaxing, Lovina had felt as if all her troubles were gone and felt happier than she has ever been in a long time. And the best part is that she was her true self; she wasn't disguised as a boy, her beautiful long hair grew back and she was wearing a beautiful white dress. Now she could gloat to her grandfather and say that she was prettier than Venus, and he would laugh his ass off seeing that she's making him eat his own words like she used to when she could.

Footsteps were approaching from behind her and she thought it was her grandfather. She turned around and started to smile then stopped when she realized it wasn't her grandfather. Instead, shining emeralds were staring back at her, awestruck and a hint of confusion. Then their owner grew a smile that made her blush a little as he offered his hand, inviting her to dance which she slowly accepted. He guided her to a small gazebo and started to dance the waltz. Being with this person, this stranger, made her feel safe, happy and dissolved of all of her worries. They stopped and leaned extremely close to each other, as if they were about to kiss.

Since the time when she saved him, she yearned for his lips. Wondering how different it would feel than being taken, wondering how it was supposed to feel to really be kissed, to be in love. They were only just a finger width apart when there was a loud BANG.

Lovina shot up again, turned to her side and Felicia was STILL asleep even though she was dangling from side of the bed, apparently from rolling around. She wasn't the source of the noise then she heard this 'I'm sorry' a million times over. She got up and went to her room where Antonio was scrambling trying to pick up pieces of glass that came from her picture frame that was now on the floor. He saw her out of the corner of his eye and shot his head up and was ready to beg for mercy.

"ImsorryImsorryImsorry! It was an accident! I bumped into your dresser and it fell!" Romano let out a small growl.

"Geez. You need to be more careful. I'll go get a broom. Just make sure the cats don't get in."

"Cats? I thought you only had one." Antonio tilted his head.

"God only knows how many Feli brought back when I wasn't looking." He sighed. He was feeling a little down for being woken up from a good dream that only came once in a blue moon. It wasn't that he was woken up, it was that he knew the limits of dreams. There was no way it would happen. Until Felicia was completely out of harm's way, meaning she would get married, Romano couldn't be Lovina. And there was no way she would fall in love and get married within two weeks so Lovina could tell Antonio the truth. She could tell him now but she had a strict plan that she had to stay with. Felicia comes first. That way she couldn't be used if worst came to worst.

After Romano battled his way through the storage room to get a broom, he came back to his room and started sweeping up the glass.

"Hey… Romano, could I ask you something?"

"What is it?" He mumbled without lifting his head up.

"Who are these two with Felicia?" He held up a small horizontal coloured photo with a tall handsome man with wavy brown hair with two little girls with white dresses and berets. They were all smiling and Felicia could easily be identified with her dopey smile. Romano felt the furry built up inside him. The snoop not only broke her picture of him and Felicia, he was looking at this picture, and that news article. It didn't appear to be on the floor with the mess. "Sorry, I don't mean to intrude, it's just that I found it on your stand and well I didn't see any other picture frames and I tried to put it back then I bumped into your dresser and it broke." He rambled.

"That's my grandfather and my sisters. My grandfather and my sister died five years ago." Romano said without looking up. He rehearsed this story so many times and didn't actually think he'd actually use it. Now that he had to, he found his voice wavering, something he should've gotten over.

"Does it have something to do with the… Heart of Italia?" Romano's head shot up and Antonio had a small piece of newspaper in his hand. Romano glared at him because this time, he caught him snooping.

"I-I just found it under the bed!" He said quickly and Romano relaxed his glare a little. He always made sure that if he took the picture and the article out, he'd put it back in the frame. And he hadn't taken it out recently.

"You said you didn't take it out?" He said cautiously and had a low growl.

"Ci! Ci! I swear, I didn't touch anything! Except I pulled a novel off your bookshelf, I hope you don't mind." He smiled nervously. Romano still kept his glare after sweeping up the glass. Sorrow and guilt were starting to fill his stomach and really, what is the harm in telling him? He seems to be trusting and he had to get some stress off of his chest.

"My family has been the keepers for Italy's treasure, the Heart of Italia for centuries. I honesty don't really know what it is but it was the source of Nonno's strength. It is something so pure, it has the power to heal, create, give one immortality, destroy and grant someone invincible strength. Nonno was one of the most powerful men in Italy and he only used it to keep us safe and Italy safe from danger. Many people have tried to form alliances with Nonno only for the Heart's power and to try and take it. However, it can only be passed down or given away by the male keepers or the heirs. Five years ago, some men came to our house and they-"

Romano's voice caught in his throat and couldn't go on. He was truly in danger of crying bringing up that memory but this time, it was less intense and less painful thinking about it. Suddenly he felt some arms quickly but gently embrace him.

"It's okay amigo." Romano felt his face getting warmer the minute he heard Antonio's voice in his ear. "I'm your amigo and amigo's help each other right?"

"H-hey! A-a little too close there." Romano pushed him off gently.

"You can trust me. You can tell me anything you want and I promise I won't tell. That's what amigo's are for!" He grinned.

"What the hell does amigo mean? You say it all the time and it's annoying."

"It means friend! We're friends, yeah?" He paused and blinked a few times as if he was trying to recollect something. "But we're really close friends since we hug and kissed, right?" Romano turned redder and redder and backed away.

"You-you perverted bastard! When didyou!" He pointed a shaking finger at him. 'Remind me why I took him in again?'

"Actually that was you." He simply smiled. "So should I be calling you the perverted bastard, corto tomate?" He tilted his head and continued to smile, showing no signs of annoyance or anger. Normally Romano's mouth would irritate anyone.

"Oh yeah…" Romano rolled his eyes. "Well, CPR doesn't count, got it!"

"Okay." He chirped. 'Okay? That's all he could say? What IS this guy?'

"But… If you were a girl, do you think it would still count? I'm just asking."

"How the hell am I supposed to know? Felicia doesn't use any female lingo and I work with a bunch of slobbery pigs." He turned away and was still blushing furiously.

"Ahem." A voice came from in front of Romano. "I made breakfast." Marcus stood in the doorway, looking passively at them.

"Thanks." Romano mumbled on the way out to go and wake up Felicia. Marcus made some paella, which looked very appetizing but it lacked spices and was very bland.

"Alright, Antonio. Your first job is to clean the kitchen." Romano said after he finished his food. "Although it would've been less work for you to do if somebody" He glared at Marcus. "Used paper plates and plastic cutlery."

"You didn't give me the pleasure of letting me know there were any." He replied coolly.

"They were right on the counter beside the fridge, how could you miss them?" All of the counters were buried under a mountain of dishes, pots, pans, you name it, barely touching the underside of the cupboards. The bag of paper plates and cutlery was against the fridge, behind all of the pots. Antonio had an uncomfortable look on his face but he wanted to keep his end of the deal so he didn't complain.

"Or actually, first job is to clean up yourself. We have to go back to the clinic to make sure that everything is okay. Then come back, start on the kitchen. I have a couple of errands to run then I'll come and help if you're still doing it." Antonio did as he was told and got dressed. When Romano took a shower and got out, he realized that he forgot a change of clothes. His routine was after he took a shower and did his routine, he would go to his room and get changed. Since he had people over, he couldn't do that. He told himself to bring a change of clothes from his room but he didn't. He poked his head out of the bathroom door to see where everyone was.

Felicia's room was to the left and it was shut, meaning she was changing, Marcus was gone and he spotted Antonio going into the kitchen. He wrapped the towel around his body and dashed to his room. He carefully tried to avoid the spot where the glass and was able to get underwear, pants and a bra on. He was about to blow dry his hair when the door swung open, and he started to swear thinking it was Felicia since she never knocked.

"How many times to I have to tell you- AAAHH!" Romano screamed at the same time with Antonio. Antonio stood there for a couple of seconds, covered his eyes, walked (or ran into) the door frame while trying to look away.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Oh shit. Today was going to be fun.


End file.
